Pentagon braces for cyber wars

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military must prepare for a combination of humanitarian missions, untraditional threats such as cyber-attacks, environmental disasters, terrorist groups seeking weapons of mass destruction and as many as two major conflicts, the Defense Department’s latest four-year policy review has found.

It’s the first time the Pentagon has redefined the military’s purpose in more than a decade, and it will shape not only how troops train but also the equipment the military buys. Indeed, the department released both the Quadrennial Defense Review and its proposed $708 billion 2011 budget Monday, saying that the review had shaped its budget request.

Calling climate change “an accelerant of instability,” the review also marked the first time such a document linked environmental issues with national security.

“The wars we fight are seldom the ones we plan for,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told a news briefing.

While the military once trained its forces and bought weapons to fight two major wars – in the 1990s the military presumed the two nations would North Korea and Iraq – Gates said the U.S. already was engaged in major conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in providing humanitarian relief in Haiti.

The review, however, is vague about how many conflicts the military should be prepared to handle at one time. It calls for forces to be prepared for a range of warfare “from homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities, to deterrence and preparedness missions – occurring in multiple and unpredictable combinations.”

The budget reflects what the military thinks it will need to face such challenges, calling for more surveillance aircraft, language training and helicopters.